Most of the correspondents of the Viewspaper work out of altruism and I being one of them, strive to make an effort in this direction. I would like to contribute by shedding some light on lesser known facts which came through sources like The Economic Times, news magazines, internet etc.

Try pondering at this for a while!

What if you want to have a burger at Mc Donald’sknowing very well it serves you the best, only to discover that it is actually a silly step brother or sister ? What if you are sold off a Gucci or a Chanel bag for an exorbitant price ,realizing later that what you got for the steep price was a mere fake and definitely not worth the money you doled out for it -being just a fake replica of the Original!!

What would be your first reaction – dissatisfaction, resentment, discontentment, consumer exploitation, made up or fooled rather, isn’t it. Well had it been me I would have thought so…. BAD isn’t it … then try reading ahead. Facts that make me grim when thought of.

I recently came across an article from papers showing that, Yo! China – chain of restaurants which India is now flooded with, whether existent or the new ones mushrooming all over the place these days is a conceptual reproduction of the very popular chain of food joints in U.K known as Yo! Sushi.

Take the case of a restaurant that opened in North Nazimabad-Jada, Saudi Arabia under the name and style of Al-Baik. It surely brought about a lot of excitement to most people from Karachi, Pakistan who thought this restaurant was opened by the famous Al-Baik in Pakistan. The excitement eventually died despite the great fanfare of the opening of Al-Baik-the reason –it was a fake.

Back home we regularly witness bogus outlets flaunting international brands without any tie up. In fact US PIZZA is fighting two cases in Gujarat against businesses that have no authority from US PIZZA to use their name.

It is common place to notice small businesses popping up in the magnificent and swanky malls and retail locations, with names similar or close copies of major international brands. This is only an attempt by these businesses to attract the gullible customers who inadvertently mistake them for the originals and quite often end up with substandard merchandise.

And if you think that wasn’t enough to jolt up your expressions let me provide you with some more inside knowledge. There is also a new fashion to launch outlets using the names both from the international and the national market without even being a part of it or even a mere association .

Quite often, once the franchisee outlets are launched and are in business then out of sheer avarice and disrespect for the parent company, they do not want to share the earnings and the takings and thus start fighting whether in courts or in general .

Nothing more to say about the heights of cheapness and hypocrisy which are innately present in the society and thus removal of it is a bit complicated. Easier said than done. These days only profit is perceptible to the naked eye. What ethics say, just falls on deaf ears and a mere dust in the eye, to be shunned as and when it becomes a hindrance.

To be successful is not to barge into other people’s area or domain.It is to create your own name and make it BIG!

As John Rockefeller had originally affirmed – “If you want to succeed, you have to forge new paths and avoid borrowed ones that promise success”.

It would be inappropriate to surmise this note without mention of the primary reason for such blatant abuse of proprietary rights. In fact international agencies including World Trade Organization and the Government of India are in the process of legislating laws in the country for protection of International Proprietary Rights, commonly referred to as IPR.